


Lazarus

by Phantomtype



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Gen, Post-Canon, kin canon stuff, remember when i wrote abt my goku black kin canon? well guess what. im raditz too
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-19
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2020-01-16 09:11:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18518368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phantomtype/pseuds/Phantomtype
Summary: Raditz finds himself being brought back to life, and he's thrown into a very different world than he remembers.  A kin canon fic.





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> howdy i'm back but this time i'm not writing about zamasu or goku black..shocking
> 
> i am however back on my kinnie bullshit and you just have to deal with that
> 
> i wanted to try writing out my raditz kin canon because i think about it a lot and it's the one i have the most memories for! i hope y'all enjoy it at least a little bit lmao. it takes place at some point post-super (including the broly movie)

“I want you to bring my brother Raditz back and bring him here!”

The great eternal dragon Shenron loomed above Goku as he stated his wish.  It was a peculiar one, given the circumstances, but the dragon didn’t question it.  He simply granted the wish, eyes glowing as he did so. Within moments, the long-dead saiyan Raditz appeared in a flash of light in front of the gathered dragon balls, slightly dazed and very confused.

Goku smiled, then waved up to the dragon.  “Okay, Shenron, that’s all I wanted. You can go now!”

Raditz blinked, eyes honing in on his brother.  He furrowed his brow. “... Kakarot? What—?”

“Farewell,” boomed Shenron, interrupting him and causing him to swing around to look up at the giant being.  His eyes widened as the dragon disappeared and the dragon balls shot into the sky before flying off in different directions, and he then snapped his attention back to Goku.  “What the  _ hell _ was that?  Where am I? Why are  _ you _ here?”

Goku scratched the back of his head and held up a hand.  “Slow down! One question at a time, okay?”

“Answer me!”

“Okay, okay!  Well, first off, that was Shenron, the dragon that comes from the dragon balls; second, you’re on Earth; and third, I live here.  That answer your questions?”

Raditz blinked.  Earth? That was where he died!  What was he doing back here for? “How did I get back on Earth?  How did you get back here, either, for that matter?”

Goku frowned.  “Jeez, you’re asking a lot of questions…”  He sighed. “I wished you back, duh. I was wished back, too, a long time ago!  I died again, though, but I got brought back again. It’s kind of a long story, heheh.”

The older saiyan was...still confused.   _ Kakarot _ wished him back?  Not Vegeta or Nappa?  Well, he’d kind of figured his comrades had given up on wishing him back after a while, since it had been so long, but...he’d never imagined his brother would be the one to do it instead.

He wasn’t exactly happy about that.

His perplexed expression soon turned to a scowl, and his tail whipped behind him.  “What the hell kind of game are you playing at?” he spat. “Do you expect me to owe you after you brought me back?  What are you gaining from this?”

Goku rubbed his neck, glancing at the ground.  “Well, to tell the truth, I was just thinkin’ about how you’re pretty much the only other family I had, besides Chichi and my sons.  I was kinda curious about my saiyan background, I guess, and you’re the only one who can really tell me about it, so…”

Raditz stood a little straighter.  Was that really it? “So, baby brother wants to know about his saiyan heritage, eh?”  He crossed his arms and turned away. “Well, tough! You had your chance back then when I asked you to join me, and you blew it!  I’m not interested in telling you anything. Besides—what happened to the whole ‘I don’t have a brother’ thing you said to me?”

Goku tilted his head.  “... You still remember that?”

The larger saiyan hesitated.  He never stopped to think about how long his brother’s words had been on his mind, actually.  He never could let it go.

He scoffed, turning away even more to avoid looking at him.  “Please, Kakarot, don’t expect  _ my _ memory to be as bad as yours!  You didn’t even remember you  _ had _ a brother in the  _ first _ place.”

Resting his hands on his hips, Goku went back to smiling.  “I guess that’s fair. Well, anyway, now that you’re here, you can come back and stay with me!  You’ll have to sleep on the couch, since we don’t really have room for another person. I forgot to mention it to my family that you were gonna be staying with us—”

“Wait, wait, wait.  You expect  _ me _ to go back with  _ you _ ?  After all you’ve done to me?  Ha! I never knew you could be so  _ funny _ , Kakarot.”

The younger saiyan frowned.  “Aw, come on. I brought you back to life, didn’t I?  Can’t we start over?”

Raditz scowled.  “There’s nowhere to start!  I know what you’re doing. You expect me to be just like you, don’t you?  You want me to go back to your little home and meet your little family and adopt your goody-two-shoes ways of  _ peace _ and  _ goodwill _ .  Well, newsflash,  _ Kakarot _ —I’m not buying it!  I’m a saiyan warrior, which is something you’ll never understand!”

He wrapped his tail around his waist securely, looking around.  “I’ll tell you what I’m going to do. I’m going to destroy every living thing on this planet, find a ship, and then leave.  Maybe then you’ll realize the mistake you made by bringing me back!”

Goku shrugged, not seeming concerned in the least.  “Okay. But, uh...there’s one  _ teensy _ little problem.”

Raditz finally turned to look at him over his shoulder.  “Oh? And what might that be?”

There was a sly look in the other’s eyes.  “You’ll have to get through  _ me _ first if you wanna do all that.”

Raditz scoffed, turning to face his brother fully.  “Hilarious… You actually think you stand a chance against me by yourself, without your green friend to help you?  I’ll have you know I spent my time in Hell  _ training _ .  I’m not the same Raditz you faced before!”

Goku just grinned.  “That’s good to hear!  I wanna see how much you’ve improved since last time.  Come at me with everything you got, alright?”

The long-haired saiyan blinked.  Something about this was off-putting; he could tell something was different about him.  Still...the fact that his brother seemed to be underestimating him was pissing him off.

He huffed, getting into a battle stance.  “Fine, if you wish to die again so badly.”

The wind picked up in a slight breeze as a silent pause settled between the two saiyans.  Before long, though, Raditz was shooting forward with all his strength to throw the first punch.  Instead of taking the shot, however, he used his afterimage technique to throw the other off before appearing behind him and bringing his foot down.  He was going to end this in one blow—!

That...didn’t happen.

Goku’s hand shot upward, grabbing Raditz’s foot before it could connect with him.  He didn’t even turn back to look at him until a few seconds later, and he had a rather big smirk on his lips when he did so.  “That old move again? I expected you to do somethin’ a little different this time.”

Raditz tore his leg away and hopped back to put some distance between them.  What the hell? How did he…?

Whatever; it was a fluke!  That’s all. Kakarot couldn’t hold a candle to him when they first fought, and he’d only gotten stronger since then.  There’s no way he could have surpassed him already!

He growled, collecting himself before launching back at him.  He’d just take a more head-on approach and overpower him that way!

The two proceeded to engage in fierce hand-to-hand combat, moving at speeds that would be difficult to see for normal humans.  They exchanged punches and kicks, blocking and countering with great precision. For a bit, it seemed as though Raditz was pushing Goku back, which brought a wicked grin to his lips.  However...this soon changed. With one punch, Goku was pushing Raditz back in the other direction, overpowering him with every attack. The larger saiyan’s grin faded, and he tried to counter, but it was growing more and more difficult.

What the hell was going on?  He thought he’d improved! No, he  _ knew _ he had.  But, then how did Kakarot manage to push him back?  There’s no way he could have possibly surpassed him already!  He was just an Earthling!

As these thoughts raced through his head, he began to lose focus, which created an opening for Goku.  With one swift movement, he ducked down and swiped Raditz’s legs from under him, causing him to fall to the ground with a heavy thud.  This knocked him back to reality, thankfully, and he began firing off energy blasts before Goku could close in. The blasts knocked the other back a bit, giving him just enough time to hop back onto his feet.  He wasn’t about to forgive him for knocking him down!

“This is where it ends, Kakarot!”  Raditz extended his hands outward, charging his energy.  “Have a Double Sunday!”

Goku stood his ground with his arms held up to block as his brother fired off two pink lasers from his hands, headed straight for him.  When they hit, they created a huge explosion, kicking up dust everywhere. Raditz grinned with satisfaction, letting down his hands. “That should teach you your place!”

As Raditz took a moment to laugh boastfully, the dust began to clear.  His laughter came to a halt when he noticed that spiky hair sticking up through the clouds.  Soon enough, Goku’s face peeked through, clearly not knocked to the ground. He was smirking.  Raditz was not.

“Phew!  That was pretty strong.  I got a good workout. You really have improved for sure; I can tell!”  Goku dusted off his gi, leaving Raditz practically dumbfounded as he stood there.  How… How did he…?

Suddenly, Goku’s expression changed.  He seemed to be getting serious, now. “Now, it’s  _ my _ turn.”

Raditz watched as Goku clenched his fists at his sides, yelling as he began to power up.  Then, in a flash of brilliant light, his hair spiked upwards and shone a light blonde. His dark eyes turned blue as well, and his energy skyrocketed.  It nearly knocked Raditz back from its intensity. All of this startled the saiyan, who stared wide-eyed at his suddenly-powerful brother.

Literally  _ what _ was going on here?!

Unfortunately, he had no time to ask, since Goku shot forward in an attack right after powering up.  It caught Raditz off-guard due to the speed at which it came, and he was knocked back. He couldn’t keep up with Goku’s strikes anymore no matter how hard he tried, and he was easily and quickly pushed back.

It didn’t take long before Goku reeled back his fist and launched a finishing blow to the other’s gut, knocking the wind out of him.  He collapsed to his knees as he held his stomach, his vision blurring as he tried to maintain consciousness. Goku stood above him, victorious.

Well…  That didn’t go as planned.  Raditz had no idea how Kakarot had gotten so powerful, or what exactly that transformation was, but...he knew when he was beaten.  He could barely move after all that. Kakarot clearly won, as much as he hated to admit it. He closed his eyes and coughed. He couldn’t believe he was about to die at the hands of his own brother for a second time…

“You put up a good fight, but it looks like I won,” Goku said suddenly.  To Raditz’s surprise, instead of delivering a killing blow, the other saiyan powered down and held out his hand.  It seemed as though he was offering to...help him up?

He looked from Goku’s hand up to his face, obviously confused.  All Goku did was smile down at him.

“...  What… What are you doing?” Raditz managed to ask.  “I told you I was going to kill everyone. Why are you trying to help me now?”

Goku placed one hand on his hip.  “Well, I told  _ you _ that you’d have to get through me first, and you didn’t, so that means you can’t hurt anyone.  I showed you how powerful I am, so you know you can’t win at the level you’re at right now.”

Raditz frowned.  So he was just beating him as an example of his power?  Kakarot really was a saiyan, he supposed…

“Tch!”  He grunted as he pushed himself off of the ground and stood on his own, dusting off his armor.  “I don’t need your help!”

The other saiyan shrugged, letting his hand rest on his other hip.  “Are you ready to go back to my place now?” he asked after a moment.

Raditz crossed his arms.  “What do you expect me to do if I agree?  Live with you and act like an Earthling for the rest of my life?  You want me to completely give up my warrior lifestyle in favor of a quaint little life on this planet?”

Goku thought to himself, looking at the ground for a moment.  “Hmm… That sounds about right, yeah!”

When Raditz rolled his eyes, Goku waved a hand.  “Hey, don’t worry! You’ll get used to it. If Vegeta could make a life here, I think you can, too!”

The larger man stiffened.  “Wait—Vegeta? He’s here?”

“Uh…  Yeah? He lives at Capsule Corp.  Why?”

Raditz uncrossed his arms.  What was Vegeta still doing on Earth?  Did they manage to capture him or something?  Maybe that’s why he never wished him back! “Take me to him!”

“Okay, okay!  Jeez.” Goku lifted off the ground and began to float.  “It’s this way.”

The larger saiyan followed him into the sky, and the two of them flew off towards Capsule Corp.  Maybe talking to his old comrade would give him the answers he needed.


	2. Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raditz demands to see his old comrade Vegeta, and the two of them have a very meaningful conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey y'all it's been a while but i'm back. i started this thing and i plan to finish it at whatever pace i can manage lmao
> 
> anyway here's the continuation of my kin canon fic i hope u enjoy

The skies above Capsule Corp. were clear until Goku and his newly-resurrected brother Raditz came flying over.  Raditz had insisted that they visit his old comrade Vegeta once he’d learned that he was living on Earth, now; he had to see it for himself before he’d fully believe it.

The two saiyans landed softly on the balcony, which was empty, save for a few tables and chairs.  Raditz looked to his brother. “Where is he?”

Goku waved his hand.  “Hold on, I’ll call him out.”  He allowed his ki to flare up for a moment before he powered it back down.  The two stood there for a few moments, and Raditz was this close to losing his patience, but soon enough, the spiky-haired prince of all saiyans came waltzing out of the building.  He was wearing casual clothing—a blue button-up shirt, a pair of beige trousers, and some sneakers. This was...certainly strange for Raditz to see.

Vegeta opened his mouth to address his rival, but his attention was immediately caught by Raditz.  He stared at him for a second before shooting a rather exasperated look at Goku. “... Do I  _ even _ want to know what was going through your head when you decided to pull this one, Kakarot?”

Goku started to explain, but Raditz cut him off before he could even get out one word.  “V-Vegeta! What are you doing here? What are you  _ wearing _ ?  Kakarot said you  _ live _ here!  Is that true?  What  _ happened _ ?”

“Would you shut up?  I thought I finally escaped your annoying babbling when you died,” Vegeta grumbled.  “Yes, I live here. I don’t feel like explaining everything to you, so don’t even bother asking.  I would, however, like an explanation from  _ you _ , Kakarot.  Why did you bring this buffoon back?  Didn’t you learn your lesson after Frieza?”

Raditz was both offended and confused by that.  Goku rubbed his neck with a guilty smile. “Well, y’see, I just thought it’d be neat to have some more family around, y’know?  Maybe learn a little more about my, um...heritage?”

Vegeta scoffed.  “I’m impressed you even know that word at all.  Anyway, you’re an idiot. Stop bringing people back that nobody wants around.”

That obviously got to Raditz.  He stiffened a bit, and his expression faltered.  Goku apparently noticed this, and he placed his hands on his hips.  “Hey, go easy on him, Vegeta! He’s been dead a really long time.”

“And?  He’s a saiyan; he should be able to take a few insults.”  Vegeta shot a glance at his old comrade. “Then again, he  _ has _ always been the  _ weak  _ type.”

The larger saiyan’s gaze turned cold at that.  “I’m not weak...! In any case, I demand an explanation from you!  Why is it that after all this time it was  _ Kakarot _ that ended up wishing me back instead of you?  I thought we were teammates!”

“Tch!  Why should the fact that we were teammates matter to me at all?  You should know that saiyans fight alone in the end. Plus, you were a poor teammate, anyway.  Easily the weakest link of the three of us. You were hardly a loss.”

That only served to make Raditz angrier.  He clenched his fists, his tail unraveling from his waist and starting to twitch behind him.  “You—…! You’ve always been the most utterly  _ conceited _ saiyan I’ve ever met!  You think you’re so much better and mightier than the rest of us, but what makes you any more special than me?  Just because you’re a prince doesn’t mean anything!”

The prince was unfazed.  “A weak fool like you wouldn’t understand what it takes to be truly  _ mighty _ .  You couldn’t even hold a candle to me.  I’m sure you’ve always known that, though, haven’t you?”

Raditz was fuming.  He was about to give him another piece of his mind when Trunks came walking out behind Vegeta.  He was holding a juice box. “Hey, Dad. What’s goin’ on out here? Did Goku come to spar again?”  He seemed to notice Raditz, then, sipping his juice before leaning over to his father. “Who’s the big guy with the crazy hair?  He looks mad about something.”

Vegeta kept his gaze fixed on Raditz as if he was daring him to make a move.  “He’s nobody. Just a low-class soldier I used to work with ages ago.”

Trunks seemed interested at that.  “Ohh, that explains his outfit. It looks like a really old model of Frieza’s army’s uniform.”

Raditz watched the little purple-haired half-saiyan as he spoke, his anger dying down just a little bit as he tried to understand what was going on now.  It didn’t take long for him to put two and two together and realize that this kid was related to Vegeta...somehow. The “Dad” thing tipped him off, of course.  “You have a son now, too?” he asked in a surprised tone, though it was clear he was still on edge from before.

Vegeta crossed his arms, seeming to be growing bored of this interaction.  “Yes. His name is Trunks. And, yes, he’s also stronger than you.”

Raditz scoffed.  “This little kid?  Please! Don’t insult me  _ that _ much!”

Trunks sipped his juice, looking him over.  “Can you go super saiyan, too?”

“What?”

Vegeta eyed him, though he already knew the answer.  “He asked if you can also go super saiyan, Raditz.” He was just being a dick at this point.

Raditz recalled back to when he was fighting his brother.  That transformation he performed must have been the super saiyan of legend.  He had suspicions, but he didn’t really want to address them. It sounded like it was...a pretty well-known thing to everyone else, though.  He glanced away. “... No, I can’t. But, you couldn’t possibly know how to do that, either! You’re just a child!” Surely only his brother knew how to do that, right?

Trunks sighed.  “Lame. I thought it’d be cool to have another sparring partner, but if you can’t even go super saiyan, then I guess there’s no point.”  He crushed his now-empty juice box and waved to Goku as he turned to leave. “Let me know when you bring Goten over next, okay?”

Goku waved back as Trunks left.  “I will!”

Raditz was beginning to feel like he wasn’t being taken seriously by, like, anybody, which only made him angry again.  “You can’t expect me to believe that that boy can achieve super saiyan!” he pressed.

Vegeta turned his attention elsewhere, clearly ready to leave.  “He can. So can Kakarot’s sons—both of them. And, of course, so can I.”  He looked directly back at Raditz. “It seems you’ve been left behind by just about everyone, as usual.”

Man, Vegeta was really hitting him hard today.  The long-haired saiyan clenched his fists again.  “S-so what? If what you’re saying is true and that everyone and their mother can go super saiyan, then it must not be all that special after all!  I don’t care that I can’t do it. I could probably figure it out if I wanted to, if even children can do it!”

Vegeta gave a small shrug.  “Fair enough. Maybe once you achieve super saiyan you’ll actually be useful for once.”  He lifted his head a bit. “For the small threats, at least. You’ll still have to leave the big problems for me, just like in the old days.”

“What are you talking about?  If I can go super saiyan then that means we’re equal!”

“Is that what you think?  You really believe super saiyan is the most I can do, after all this time?”

Raditz furrowed his brow.  “Are you implying that you’re  _ stronger _ than a super saiyan?”

Vegeta actually put on a grin, then.  “That’s exactly what I’m implying. Did you think the prince of all saiyans would actually stop at just super saiyan?”

Raditz looked to his brother as if to confirm what the other was saying was true.  Goku shrugged in response. “Well, he’s not lyin’... Both of us have gone way further than super saiyan by now.”

The taller saiyan had an incredulous look on his face, now, turning back to Vegeta.  “You’re both bluffing! You can’t tell me there’s something  _ past _ super saiyan!”

Vegeta seemed to be amused at the other’s denial.  “It’s true. We’ve both ascended to the level of gods.”

“Alright, now you’re  _ clearly _ making things up!  You’re just trying to make yourselves look stronger than you actually are!”

Without missing a beat, Vegeta’s ki suddenly exploded around him as he transformed into Super Saiyan Blue right in front of him.  It made Raditz stumble back a couple steps—Goku didn’t move an inch, of course—and startled him. He couldn’t even feel Vegeta’s energy anymore, which was very bizarre to him.  The look on his face seemed to ask what was happening again.

“This,” Vegeta began, “is Super Saiyan Blue.  It’s the form a saiyan achieves once they’ve ascended to a Super Saiyan God and then gone further beyond that.  Do you understand how utterly insignificant you are in comparison to me, now?”

That display seemed to make it set in for Raditz.  Vegeta really was on another level, and by the sound of it, so was Kakarot.

He really was nothing.

His silence was enough of an answer for Vegeta, and the prince powered down.  He uncrossed his arms and instead stuffed his hands into his pockets before turning to leave.  “If you’re not here to spar with me, Kakarot, you can leave. Take the trash with you on the way out.”  With that, he turned and entered his home again, closing the doors behind him.

Goku scratched his head, glancing up at his brother, who seemed to be growing more and more dejected as time passed.  He decided to give him a little nudge with his elbow. “Don’t worry about him. He acts like that towards me, too. That’s just how he is with people.”

Raditz was silent for a few moments before he eventually unclenched his fists and looked at the ground.  “... You’re right about that. He hasn’t changed at all.”

Goku patted him on the back.  “Let’s get going; I still gotta show you where you’ll be staying!  I’m sure Chi-Chi’s already started cooking dinner, too. You’ll cheer up once you eat a little food!”

As he lifted into the air, Raditz glanced over at him.  Kakarot really was strangely optimistic, wasn’t he? … Oh, well.  He supposed that was better than what Vegeta gave him. He followed his brother into the air, and the two of them began the flight back to Goku’s home.


	3. Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raditz meets his extended family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey its been a while since this one updated LOL. figured id try and do smth with it before the decade ends!
> 
> hope you enjoy :]

The flight to Goku’s home was quiet.  Raditz was too upset to speak, and Goku seemed to pick up on those vibes, so he didn’t say anything, either.  He didn’t blame him; he’d just gone through a lot. It hadn’t even been an hour since he’d been wished back, and he’d already gotten his ass beaten by his own brother and deeply insulted by someone he used to call his comrade.

Soon enough, the little round house came into view, and before long the two brothers were landing on the grass in front of it.  Goku took the liberty of heading to the door first while Raditz hung back a little; he wasn’t exactly excited to meet these people.

Goku opened the door and called inside.  “Chi-Chiii! I’m home! And I brought someone I want you to meet!”

Raditz couldn’t see very well into the house, but over Goku’s shoulder he could see a smaller woman appear in the doorway.  “You didn’t say you were having guests over today, Goku… Who is it? A friend of yours?”

The man stepped aside with a big smile, gesturing to his brother.  “Kinda! Chi-Chi, I want you to meet my big brother Raditz! I wished him back to life just so he could meet you guys!”

Raditz didn’t seem very pleased with that introduction, crossing his arms and putting on an unamused expression.  He and the woman—presumably named Chi-Chi—looked each other over for a moment, seeming to square each other up.  The saiyan stuck up his nose; she didn’t seem like much to—

“ _Another_ saiyan?  Goku, how many times have I told you not to bring dangerous people home?  I hope you don’t expect him to live with us! Do you know how much more cooking I’ll have to do?  I already have to feed two of you! You’d better be planning to work even harder to earn more money to pay for all that food!  And—eugh, he stinks!  I can smell him from over here!  Don’t you saiyans know what showers are?  Honestly!”

He was taken aback by that sudden rant that continued for quite some time.  He...didn’t exactly know how to respond to any of that. He had expected her to be at least a little bit intimidated by his presence, but she didn’t seem fazed at all.  He supposed he should have guessed that, seeing as how she lived around saiyans already, but...it was still disappointing.

“ _Wait a minute!_ ”

Raditz watched her approach him.  He had to look down at her from his height as she squinted back up at him.  “Are you the brother that kidnapped my Gohan all those years ago? Was that you?”

The saiyan scoffed.  “And what if it was? It wasn’t as if he made it hard to do, he was so _weak_.”

Goku grimaced behind his wife, waving his hands as if to say “you shouldn’t have said that”.  However, the deed had been done, and Chi-Chi was already turning red.

“ _You_!!  You’re the one that caused all that mess to happen!  If it weren’t for you, my poor Gohan would have never had to fight in the first place!  If you woulda just stayed in space where you belonged—!”

Goku jumped between them before she could continue, an awkward smile on his face.  “C-Chi-Chi, calm down…! It’s okay! That was a really, really long time ago! Things are different now!”

Raditz opened his mouth to protest, but the angry woman beat him to it.  “I don’t care! If he thinks he can just waltz up into my home as if he never did anything wrong then he’s got another thing coming!”  She glared daggers into Raditz, and he was...actually a little off-put by it. “If you want any chance of being welcomed here, you better start by cleaning yourself up and thinking about how you’re going to be useful!  I will _not_ have another lazy saiyan taking up space in my house!”

With that, she turned around and stormed back into the house, leaving Raditz actually a bit flabbergasted.  He...did not expect to get chewed out so badly by a human woman. For a minute there, he felt like he was back in the Frieza Force getting yelled at by a superior officer…!

Goku watched Chi-Chi leave, and when she was gone, he turned and gave an apologetic look to his brother.  “Sorry about that… She can be a lot sometimes, but you get used to it. She’s actually not that bad—you just made her mad, is all.  As long as you be good, you won’t have to deal with that.”

Raditz scoffed, uncrossing his arms.  “ _Be good_ , eh?  Fat chance.  You can try all you want, but I’m not becoming one of you.  Mark my words!” With a disgruntled expression, he walked forward to enter the house.  “Now, show me where the blasted shower is.”

The smaller saiyan blinked, but he soon smiled and followed him inside.  “Right this way!”

—

While Raditz was showering, Chi-Chi had made Goku go out and buy some new clothes for him to wear; she didn’t want that armor being worn around the house because she was afraid those shoulder pads were going to knock something over.  Raditz was still in the shower by the time his brother returned; he had so much hair, he needed a little time to wash it all…

Eventually, he finished washing everything, and he stepped out of the shower.  Instead of his armor, though, he found a brand new outfit waiting for him. Even his scouter was gone.  He was not pleased.

“Kakarot!” he called from the bathroom.  “Where is my armor? What are these clothes doing here?”

It took a minute, but soon Goku was speaking through the door.  “Chi-Chi said she wanted you to wear something else while you’re here!  Those clothes are for you—I bought them today!  I thought you’d like ‘em!”

Raditz frowned heavily, examining the garments he’d been given.  It looked like the outfit involved a white short-sleeved shirt with some kind of Earth plant on it and a three-letter word printed beneath it.  Of course, Raditz couldn’t read this language—he could speak Common, sure, but he never really had an opportunity to learn to read or write it—so he was a bit nervous as to what it could mean.

“Kakarot!”

“Yeah?”

“What’s printed on this shirt?”

“Oh—It’s a radish!  I thought it was funny because it says ‘RAD’ on it—y’know, like Raditz!  Hehe!”

Raditz rolled his eyes.  He really had one dumb brother, didn’t he?

…  Still, he ended up dressing in what he was given—the radish shirt, some boxer briefs, and a pair of black shorts that were similar to the ones he’d come here wearing, except they were just a bit longer.  He had worn his bands into the shower with him, thankfully, so he at least still had those. Once he was clothed, he exited the bathroom with a towel around his neck, since his hair was still pretty damp.  He did not know how to use the hairdryer. Actually, he didn’t know they even had one. Or what it was. So.

Goku was the first to see him in his new attire.  He nodded approvingly. “Heyyy, lookin’ good! You look like a normal person, now!”

Raditz growled, walking past him into the living room.  “You honestly don’t know how to talk to people, do you?”

“Huh…?  What do you mean?”

“Nevermind.”

Leaving his brother to walk away in confusion, Raditz took a seat on the couch with a sigh.  He figured he might as well try to relax for a while and let his hair dry some. It’s not like Kakarot would let him do anything else…

He leaned back and rested his arms over the back of the couch, getting comfortable.  It was very soft… They didn’t have seats like these in the Frieza Force. He flicked his tail absentmindedly, closing his eyes and attempting to enjoy the first peaceful moment he’d had since being brought back to life.

It didn’t last long.  After about a minute, he began to feel another presence.  He couldn’t sense anyone’s energy like the others could, but...he had the feeling he was being watched at the very least.  This caused him to open his eyes and see who the culprit was.

Standing in the doorway was a little boy with black hair that looked exactly like Goku.  Sure enough, he was staring at him with big, innocent eyes, unblinking.

Raditz looked away, then back at the child.  This kid was creeping him out. “... Do you _need_ something, kid?”

The boy finally blinked.  “... Um, who are you?”

“Tell me who you are first, and I might answer.”

“That’s not how that works…”  The little Goku look-alike looked at the floor and hummed, but he ended up giving in.  “I’m Goten. I live here. Are you one of Dad’s friends?”

Raditz assumed this was Goku’s other child, the one Vegeta had mentioned briefly.  He looked almost as young as the other one had all those years ago, though maybe a few years older than the other had been.  The man thought for a moment… Maybe this one still had a chance to grow into someone strong as opposed to his other failure of a nephew?

He shifted around in his seat, his tail curling.  “No, I’m not one of Kakarot’s _friends_.  I wouldn’t be friends with a fool like him.”  He gave a little grin, though it didn’t seem friendly.  “Believe it or not, I’m your uncle. You can call me Raditz.”

Goten seemed to process that for a second before lighting up a bit.  “My uncle? You mean you’re Dad’s brother? Are you a saiyan, too?”

Raditz lifted his tail and flicked it.  “Obviously!”

He didn’t mean for that to be an invitation to come closer, but Goten took it as one, so he hurried over to the couch and hopped up onto it to take his place beside Raditz, who kind of scooted away.  Goten didn’t mind; he seemed excited! “Whoa, you have a tail! That’s so cool! Are you strong like Dad, too? Are you his big brother or little brother? Where’ve you been this whole time, anyway?”

“Slow down, kid!  You’re going to give me a headache…”  Raditz sighed heavily. “I’m his big brother, yes.  As for where I’ve been...has he never told you? You’d think that would be something worth mentioning.”

“I dunno.  He’s never really mentioned having a brother, so…”

That...hurt Raditz more than he thought it would.  Kakarot never mentioned him? _Ever_?  And after all that talk of wanting to have more family around…

He was silent for a moment before turning to look elsewhere.  “... Well, I’ve been dead. That’s where I’ve been. Your father was the reason for that, too—him and his green friend.”

“Green?  You mean Mr. Piccolo?  Why would they have done that to you?  Were you bad?”

Jeez, Raditz really _had_ been left out…  He frowned. “If you consider kidnapping his son and trying to kill them both _bad_ , then I suppose I was.”  He stuck up his nose. “And I still am!  He expects me to just turn over a new leaf, but I’m not having any of it!  I’m still a saiyan warrior, and no one can change that!”

Goten sat back on his knees.  “Ohhh, so you’re like Mr. Vegeta!  He was bad, too, but he’s okay now.”

Raditz growled a little.  “I am _not_ like _Vegeta_!  Don’t insult me like that.”

“Oh—Sorry.”

The two sat there for a little while in awkward silence as Goten continued to stare at him.  Eventually, though, the child spoke again. “You never told me if you were as strong as Dad, by the way.”

Shit.  Raditz had hoped he could get around answering that; he’d purposefully ignored it the first time.  He supposed this kid paid attention more than he thought. “Who cares if I am or not? Go play outside or something.  I’d like to relax for just two minutes.”

“Can you go Super Saiyan?”

That made him get up with a little groan and start walking away to find somewhere else to relax.  “I really wish everyone would stop asking me that! Who cares?”

He attempted to walk through the doorway, but he bumped into someone trying to do the same.  He growled, clearly not in the mood for this. “Watch where you’re walking, worm!”

The other person—a man with short black hair a bit smaller than Raditz—pushed up his glasses and gave an apologetic bow.  “Oh, sorry! I didn’t mean to—...”

Suddenly, a look of recognition settled on the man’s face, and his whole attitude seemed to change.  He took a few steps back and got into a defensive position. “ _You_ …!”

Raditz took note of his form—the man clearly knew how to fight, and it looked as though he recognized he was a threat as well.  Finally, some recognition! “Well, now… It seems there is _one_ person with a brain around here after all!”

Goten came walking up to them, apparently sensing the tension that was building.  He immediately recognized the other man and waved to him. “Hi, Gohan! Look—This is our uncle Raditz!”

“I know who he is,” Gohan spat, never taking his cold stare off of Raditz, who apparently still didn’t recognize him.  The name was familiar, at least, so he was furrowing his brow trying to remember where he’d heard it… “Oh? So, you _do_ know who I am?”

Gohan looked like he was ready to snarl.  “How could I forget? After you took me from my father and held me hostage while you made me watch you torture him...there’s no _way_ I could forget your face.”

That made things click for Raditz.  It looked like a lightbulb went off over his head as his expression changed to one of recollection.  “Ahhh… So, it’s _you_ !  You’re Kakarot’s eldest son, aren’t you?  Ha! I didn’t recognize you all grown-up. Although, that’s surprising now that I look at you — you still look as _pathetic_ as ever!”

Gohan growled.  He looked as though he was just waiting for Raditz to make a move to give him an excuse to kick his ass.  “Trust me, I’m more than capable of taking you on now.”

“Oh?  Is that right?  My little nephew is finally talking big?”  The larger saiyan was clearly trying to egg him on.  His expression wasn’t even hiding it. “You think you finally have what it takes to call yourself a _saiyan_?”

Before things could escalate any further, Goten hopped between them, clearly sensing the fight that was about to happen.  “Hey, stop it! Mom will be really mad if you guys fight in the house!”

Gohan ignored him.  “Why did you come back here?  Trying to cause more trouble for my family?”

Raditz scoffed.  “You say that as if it was voluntary!  Your idiot father brought me back to life in hopes of having me live here with you all.  What a joke! As if I’d play nice with any of you lot.”

“Dad…”  Gohan sighed.  He’d have to talk to his father about this for sure.  However, his focus was currently on Raditz. He’d deal with Goku later.  “Whatever. If you really don’t wanna be here that badly, I can help you go back to Hell where you belong!”

Raditz took that as his cue to get ready, wrapping his tail around his waist to prepare for a battle.  “You’ve gotten _cockier_ since we last met, that’s for sure!  I’ll just have to teach you your place again!”

Before anything could happen, though, Chi-Chi stormed onto the scene with a wooden spoon, which got everyone’s attention very quickly.  “Absolutely _not_!  No fighting in this household, ya got that?  Honestly, you saiyans are unbelievable!” She whacked Gohan on the arm with the spoon.  “Gohan, I expected you to know better than this!”

Gohan jerked back and rubbed the spot that had been hit.  “O-ow…! Sorry, Mom…”

“And _you_!”

Chi-Chi turned to face Raditz, who was standing his ground.  “You haven’t even been here for _two whole hours_ and you’re already causing trouble!  If you don’t behave yourself, you’ll be sleeping outside, got it?”

The saiyan turned up his nose.  “Tch! As if I’d take orders from an Earthling—”

A sharp smack on the forehead with the spoon shut him up quickly, and he flinched away.  “Ow—!  _Hey_!!”

“Don’t talk back to me!  You’re a _guest_ in this house!  Goku brought you here out of the kindness of his heart and I will _not_ let you take advantage of him!  Am I clear?”

Raditz was just...dumbfounded at this woman.  She literally did not give two shits about who or what he was, or that he could easily kill her with a single blow!

…  It was...kind of intimidating.  He didn’t talk back this time; he just swallowed nervously.

Chi-Chi was satisfied with that response, and she huffed before turning around to walk back to the kitchen.  “That’s what I thought. Now, all of you get ready for dinner. I wanted tonight to be a special family dinner night, so that’s why I invited Gohan over, but _you_ just had to show up and make things complicated…”

Raditz frowned at that.  Everyone had been coming for his life ever since he came back!  Could he not get a break?

Gohan seemed to be a bit calmer, now, but he still glared at his uncle.  His voice was low this time. “If you ever try to hurt my family again, I’ll _personally_ make you pay.  Don’t forget that.”  And with that, he followed his mother into the kitchen, leaving Raditz and Goten standing there.  The elder saiyan crossed his arms and gave another scoff.

Goten seemed more than a little concerned.  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Gohan get that mad so quickly…  You must’ve really did something bad to him to make him hate you like that.”

Raditz unfurled his tail from around his waist and let it swish around.  “Whatever. That’s his problem.” He turned the opposite direction and started to walk deeper into the house.  

Goten called out to him.  “Hey, aren’t you gonna eat dinner with us?”

He just kept walking, not even turning to look over his shoulder.  “I’m not doing anything with you people! I’m going to find a quiet place to rest and that’s that.”

When Raditz was gone, Goten looked between where he’d walked off to and the kitchen and then back again.  He then scratched his head thoughtfully. Raditz was definitely an interesting guy, and Goten decided right then and there that he wanted to learn more about him.

For now, though, he was hungry, so he bounded off towards the kitchen to join with the rest of his family, minus his newfound uncle.  He’d just have to investigate later.


End file.
